“WHEN YOU LOOK AT A CUPCAKE, YOU’VE GOT TO SMILE.” Anne Byrn. It feels like a while since I’ve baked cupcakes. So these sure did put a smile on my face. I belong to a group of cake baking fanatics, The Cake Slice Bakers. This year we are baking from The Southern Cake Book by…

“IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE A HAPPY CHILDHOOD.” Tom Robbins. I grew up in an age where penny candy was actually a penny! And one of my fondest childhood memories was spending a dime at ‘The Corner Store’ and filling up a little paper bag with pieces of my favorite candy. At the…

“OCTOBER, TUCK TINY CANDY BARS IN MY POCKETS AND CARVE MY SMILE INTO A THOUSAND PUMPKINS.” Rainbow Rowell. Autumn is my favorite time of year and October is my favorite month. The reasons are many. I was born in October. You can trick or treat for your favorite candy in October. Honeycrisp apples are here! …

“HOW BEAUTIFUL A DAY CAN BE WHEN KINDNESS TOUCHES IT.” George Elliston. Well it is the 20th of the month which means it’s time for The Cake Slice bakers to reveal another cake! Led by our wonderful leader, Paloma, of The Coffee Shop; The Cake Slice is a great group of bakers who are baking…

“WE ARE HOMESICK MOST FOR THE PLACES WE HAVE NEVER KNOWN.” Carson McCullers. The thing I think I love most about baking from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson, is the ability to go back in time to experience memories that were never mine in the first place. I have always wished I had some amazing…

“I HAVE MEASURED OUT MY LIFE WITH COFFEE SPOONS.” T. S. Eliot. There was a time when I believed that I enjoyed the aroma of coffee more than the taste. But over time, I have really come to enjoy the flavor. I don’t drink it daily, but I love coffee, both hot and cold. And…

“I WOULD RATHER SIT ON A PUMPKIN AND HAVE IT ALL TO MYSELF, THAN BE CROWDED ON A VELVET CUSHION.” Henry David Thoreau. I often walk this fine line of trying to be creative or walking off of the deep end! And what I’ve learned is that sometimes you just have to leave well enough…

“IT TAKES AS MUCH ENERGY TO WISH AS IT DOES TO PLAN.” Eleanor Roosevelt. Yesterday, I picked up a fabulous cookbook by Sherry Yard. And in it, she talked about her earliest memories of baking. And then I realized, there is no history of baking in my family. In fact, my history of baking starts…

“LIFE IS UNCERTAIN. EAT DESSERT FIRST.” Ernestine Ulmer. So I live in D.C. where there are an abundance of cupcake bakeries. And it occurred to me one day….that I could do that! Okay. Maybe not in mass. But I was certainly capable of making something better than a funfetti cupcake! I am starting off the…